Substance Addiction has been recognized "officially" as a disease for many years now, but there is still
a great deal of ignorance on the subject -even amongst the medical
profession.

Addicts/alcoholics (people tend to separate the two, but from here on in I
will use the term "addict" to cover the broad range of substance
abusers) are seen as weak people with no will-power.

Want to know what will-power is?

It is waking up in the morning, so nauseous that you race to the bathroom
and don't know which end to use first! After that initial wake-up purge,
you then make your way shivering and shaking into the kitchen and drink an
open, flat, warm beer that has a cigarette butt floating in it. Or because
you are shaking so much, you drink that warm white wine that has been
sitting out all night, through a straw since you can't hold a glass! You
do this, choking back the bile that is rising in your throat, because you
know that the only way to begin functioning again on some sort of level is
to try and build up the alcohol in your system before you take a seizure.

Do you think drinking methylated spirits at 5am in the morning is an easy
thing to do?

I have known many addicts whose veins in their arms and legs are so
damaged, that they inject themselves in their eyeballs. Because going
without their "hit" is a far worse option.

Addicts have plenty of will-power.......

...it's just focused in the wrong direction. Recovery teaches them us to
refocus energy.

Back to the disease concept. Addiction is classified as a disease because
it meets the criteria of all other terminal diseases:

- It has pattern of symptoms which are similar across all types of
substance abuse

- It is a chronic condition. It doesn't go away.

- It is progressive. Addiction only gets worse with continued use, and
ends with death.

- The person is subject to relapse. In Australia, 66% of addicts who are
lucky to live long enough to make it to detox will eventually die as a
direct result of the disease.

- It is treatable. Here's the good news, while substance addiction is a
terminal illness, its progression can be arrested at almost any stage. But
if you are seeking treatment, it is of the utmost importance that you gain
medical advice. Sudden withdrawal, even from "socially
acceptable" drugs such as alcohol, can cause death through seizures
and coma.

It is crucial that you consult with a medical practitioner that
understands addiction and withdrawal. Some well meaning, but uneducated
doctors will prescribe large amounts of unsuitable medications that can
lead to cross-addiction. This happened to me at one stage, and made a
difficult situation worse. If you are addicted to one drug, the likelihood
of becoming addicted to others is extremely high.

Wherever possible, detoxification is best carried out in a detox unit,
where there is 24 hour patient care. There are a number of these units
around the world, and in some cases (especially in Australia) there is no
charge for this care.

When world governments begin to understand that the cost in providing this
care free of charge is far outweighed by the benefits to society, we will
begin to see an incredible drop in poverty, violence and divorce. The cost
in providing this care will also be offset by the decrease in need of
other hospitalization. 1 in 3 hospital beds in Australia are taken up by
people with conditions that can be directly linked to drug abuse. At best,
the world health systems overall are only currently providing band-aid
solutions to one of the greatest scourges of mankind.

Are you thinking of getting help for yourself or a loved one?... do it now
... for tomorrow may be too late.

If you had terminal cancer, would you do anything about it?

Substance addiction is a far worse disease in my opinion -it not only
destroys the person, but everyone around them.

To those who helped me all those years ago -doctors, nurses, friends and
strangers - even though I may not have been appreciative at the time.....
my sincerest thank you. My life means something now.

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be included. (c) 2001 - 2007 Michael Bloch, World Wide Addiction.com,. All
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